


I Know the Secrets of the Universe (but I don't know your name)

by sammyspreadyourwings



Series: Queen Prompts [21]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Pining, Strangers to Lovers, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 17:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18237956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammyspreadyourwings/pseuds/sammyspreadyourwings
Summary: Brian works in a bookstore between studying the cosmos, he falls in love with the blond that always comes in.aka5 things Brian learns before he learns Roger's name.





	I Know the Secrets of the Universe (but I don't know your name)

**Author's Note:**

> Another prompt fill! I'm still on round 5 someone end me. (jk, I just got a lot this round)

> **He’s** **blond**

Brian looks up from his book at the ring off the bell. As expected, the familiar blond enters and smiles at him before taking his usual spot in the corner and hauling out three thick textbooks and a notebook. He smiles to himself, watching the play of light on blond hair. It’s dumb, truly, for him to be so enthralled with a person he’s exchanged maybe ten words too.

His eyes drift back to the paragraph discussing the heat death of the universe. He reads the same sentence three times before someone comes to the register. They set their books down and Brian quickly checks them out.

“Thank you and have a nice day!”

The girl, who is a cute red-head, winks at him, “I just might, cutie.”

Brian flushes and awkwardly waves as she waltzed out of the store. He glances up to meet stunning blue eyes. Quickly he looks away towards where John is wiping down a mug and raising an accusing eyebrow at him. It’s enough to make him look back to his heat death paragraph and wonders if that would be such a bad thing.

> **He’s a medical student**

Brian is not entirely sure when he little infatuation with the blond (a medical student according to John) turned into a crush. It’s odd because he doesn’t think he’s ever heard the blond speak. Hell, he doesn’t know anything about the guy except for that he’s a medical student and drop-dead beautiful.

John continually makes fun of him for it.

Brian says he stares just to pass the time.

Oh, and he knows that the blond comes in at 14:40 every Tuesday and stays until closing time. The semester prior he came in at 8:50 and stayed until noon. Brian is happy that he’s at least making it to the store.

He spends time between equations picturing what he’ll say to the blond when he finally works up the nerve to greet him. There are at least twelve ways that he deems acceptable if he approached first, and zero ways if the blond approaches him.

Why would someone that stunning want to talk to him anyway? Unless of course its to buy something, but that would be a break in the pattern.

> **His coffee order**

Brian knows its an issue when he memorizes the blond’s order. It just happens to be the first time he heard him speak, Brian was stocking the bottom shelf next to the little café.

_“Banana nut muffin and a flat white with a shot of espresso, soy milk, and one and three-sevenths sugar?”_

He doesn’t know why the voice sends his heart somersaulting down to his stomach, but Brian can’t stop thinking about it. The order is also specific enough that he asks John at closing what it was about.

“Seriously? You’re asking his coffee order before his name?”

“You know that don’t you?”

“I’m not telling you,” John wraps the scarf around his neck, “and the sugar thing is a joke between us.”

Brian tries really hard to not be jealous that John has a joke with him.

> **He’s single**

“Good news,” John says dryly, “blondie is single. Just broke up with some bloke.”

Brian tries to stifle the smile at that, because the chances of him getting a date increase fractionally, it goes from a zero percent chance to a two percent chance.

“Now that we know that, can you please stop pining? It’s not good for morale.”

“We’re the only two working.”

John shrugs, “hostile work environment.”

“I can’t just go up to him and say ‘hi, I’m Brian, I’ve been watching you in a totally noncreepy way for the past several months, do you want to go get coffee,” Brian sputters.

“Leave out the part of you watching him and it’s literally fine,” John snorts.

Brian blinks, “It’s indecent!”

John starts walking away, “It’ll be a miracle if you ever have sex if you think asking someone for coffee is indecent.”

Brian is about to yell something when the bell rings and lo and behold enters the man of the hour (or any hour for Brian). The blond offers a smile before wandering over to his spot. He has a different book with him. John points at the blond and then mimes walking up to him.

He buries his head back in the textbook about the rubber band theory of expansion. Maybe if he falls too deeply, he’ll snap back to his senses.

> **His best friend’s name**

Naturally, it doesn’t happen. Brian is in deeper than he thought possible. He’s never fantasized about a crush before, especially an idle one that will never happen, but lately he’s been having dreams about what it would be like to go on dates and hold hands and kiss.

His dream last night was them going on a stargazing trip and just laying in the grass looking up.

“Your wet dreams suck,” John replies, “seriously. Just talk to him before this bites you in the ass and you crash and burn.”

Brian supposes it's fair. John was around for what was the mercy death of his relationship with Chrissie. Then for the fallout that was his mental health after the breakup. Maybe he has been single for a long time and now he’s just projecting his desire for a relationship onto the first pretty face he sees.

“No, it’s just his guy.”

The day that the blond misses his now Thursday mid-day binge (Brian wonders if a sign that they’re schedules keep syncing up three semesters into this disaster, John tells him he’s delusional), he gets disappointed. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before, but it is a highlight of Brian’s week.

He jumps when someone slams their hands on the counter. Brian looks up to spot a dark-haired man who looks hurried. Brian wonders if they’re finally being robbed, but after a second look, the man just looks worried.

“May I help you?”

“Yes, sorry for startling you,” the man takes a deep breath, “but have you seen a blond, yay high, blue eyes and the tackiest shoes you’ve ever seen?”

It’s so terribly tragic that he knows exactly who the man is looking for, “no, not today, he’d be in that corner.”

The man turns and looks towards the vacant table and chair. He runs a hand through his hair, “okay, hm.”

“If you leave your name, I can tell him you were looking for him?”

“Oh, thank you, darling. It’s Freddie.”

Brian offers a friendly smile, “I hope you find him.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine. The bastard is just running around in the jacket I was going to wear for a date.”

With that, the man exits the store. Brian sends John a slightly overwhelmed look. John blinks and turns around as if that never happened. He snorts.

“Thanks for your help, John.”

* * *

The day Brian works up the courage to ask the blond (probably love of his life at this point, John is never going to let him live this down), is the day he receives his acceptance for graduate school.

It’s also the first day that the blond breaks the habit. Brian is reading about the Big Rip theory and barely understanding it when someone taps on his arm.

He looks up and spots stunningly blue eyes. Brian has never seen them up close before, and it’s probably a good thing because he gets lost in those eyes within seconds. The blond tilts his head and Brian shakes his.

“How can I help you?”

His voice didn’t crack with the nerves, that’s a victory in his book.

“I actually wanted to ask you something?”

Brian nods and wonders how a voice that mystical can exist, “oh, sure.”

The man hesitates and lets out a long breath, “I wanted to ask your name? It’s just that we’ve sort of known about each other for two years and haven’t actually said anything to each other.”

Behind the man, Brian sees John stop in shock.

“Oh right, I’m Brian.”

“Roger,” the blond man grins.

This is his chance, Brian inhales sharply, “actually I wanted to ask you something? I was wondering if you would want to get coffee sometime? I mean, we don’t have to get coffee and it doesn’t have to be a date sort of thing even though that’s kind of how I meant it, but whatever you’re comfortable with I-”

“Just shut up will you?” Roger laughs, “I was about to ask you the same.”

“Oh. Coffee? As a date?”

Roger’s smile softens, “and here I thought you were going to be tall dark and handsome.”

“Mostly tall.”

Brian is in serious trouble he knows because the laugh makes him fall deeper in this sort of admiration love he’s found himself in. At least he has a name to go with the face.

“Want to go get some after your shift?”

“Yeah, I’m off at-”

“17:00, I know.”

Maybe Roger is also in serious trouble.

**Author's Note:**

> As always leave your thoughts and comments below, or come talk to me on tumblr!


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